Sawhorses as portable structures for supporting building materials have gone through little if any evolutionary change since their creation. As a result, their utility remains quite limited. Ripping a piece of lumber is virtually impossible using a single sawhourse as support, and wide pieces cannot be held firmly enough to permit cross cutting with accuracy. Even with two traditional sawhourses, some tasks, such as cutting a 12-inch piece of 2 .times. 4 into two 6-inch pieces or ripping a sheet of plywood, cannot be done without additional supports.
Existing sawhorses provide no way of keeping tools within reach. Saws, hammers, rules, and squares must be laid on the ground while using the horses. If a folding rule is used to measure material, it must be folded up after each measurement or some safe place must be provided for laying it down. There is no place on the sawhorse for it to rest safely. Storing or transporting traditional sawhorses is difficult because of their awkward proportions and construction.